Dental instrument



D. H. PAYNE.

DENTAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 1918.

1,326,089. Patented Dec. 1919.

Eiti

DAVID E. PAYNE, OF DECATUR, TEXAS.

DENTAL INSTRUMENT.

1,32c,ose.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

Application filed November 27, 1918. Serial No. 264,396.

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that 1, DAVID H. PAYNE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Dein obscure cavities filled with the paste, as

a failure to find the opening of the canal with the gutta-percha point results in the curling up of the points and necessitates the discarding of the same and the making of another trial which causes waste of time and often several points before the canal is located.

It is the principal aim and object of this invention, therefore, to provide a dental instrument designed to first locate the canal and then force the point thereinto with little likelihood of failure.

More particularly the present invention contemplates the provision of a device of the above mentioned character designed to accommodate a gutta-percha point while acting in conjunction therewith is a pointer and a plunger, the former enabling the dentist to first locate the canal opening while subsequently the parts which are normally retained in a set position are capable of be ing" quickly released. and a (in actuated to withdraw the point andat t e same time insure of the extending of the plunger and the direct forcing of the point from the instrument into the canal.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a device'of the above mentioned character wherein improved means is mounted on the beak of the instrument for receiving the gutta-percha pointand for guiding the point as well as the plunger at the time the plunger is being actuated for the forcing of the gutta-percha point into the cavity; to provide a plunger and a finding point of novel construction; and to also provide improved means for setting the parts relative to each other and for adjusting the plunger and the pointer simultaneously. I v

Among the other aims and objects of this invention may be recited the provision of a device of the character described with a view to compactness, and in which the number of parts are few, the construction simple, ihelpost of production low and the efficiency 1g Other improvements and novel details in the construction and arrangement of the various parts of the apparatus will be brought out more in detail in the description to follow, which for a clear understanding of'the invention should be considered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, and wherein is disclosed for the purpose of illustration a convenient and satisfactory embodiment of the invention.

To this embodiment, however, the invention is not to be restricted. The right is reserved to make such changes or alterations as actual, practical use may suggest,

in so far as such changes or alterations are compatible claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved instrument.

Fig. 2' an enlarged longitudinal sectional detail showing the parts in a set position.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional detail showing the plunger extended.

Fig. l is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-t of Fig. .1, and

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional v iew taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detailed perspective view of the beak of the instrument.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now, more particularly, to the accompanying drawings, there is provided a shank or body 1 formed of suitable metal having a'handle 2 formed on the inner end while the outer end is curved to provide a beak 3 which is tapered at its sides and top and bottom toward its free extremity and also provided on its top and bottom faces with longitudinally extending tapered grooves 4 and 5 which in turn provide don his points 6 at the free terminal of the beak.

in spirit with the annexed nates in a 100 With a View toward providing improved means for assuring of the retention and guiding of the gutta-percha points with respect to the beak a curved and tapered leaf spring 7 is secured by suitable fasteners 8 to a band like retainer 9 which also carries a resilient leaf like uide 10 on its under surface and which gulde conforms to and lies against a portion of the under surface of the curved beak 3 for a pur ose that will presently appear. with a longitudinal slot 11 for the reception of the gutta-percha point which is also accommodated Within the adjacent groove 4.

One face of the shank near the handle is formed with a recess 12 while rockingly carried within the recess and by the shank by means of a pintle 13 is a lever 14. Studs 15 and 16 pro ect inward] from points near the upper and lower en s of the lever for a purpose that will presently appear. A resilient pointer 17 is now employed and is formed from a single piece of tape like resilient steel tapered to a point 18 at its. outer. end and having the outer portion arranged through and slidably mounted in and guided by the groove 5 while the inner end terminates in a loop 19 which is pivotally arranged about the lower stud 16. A flexible plunger 20 is now employed and like the pointer 17 is formed from a single piece of tape like resilient steel slightly tapered toward its upper end and having the outer portion arranged in the roove 4 and guided by the retainer 7 While its inner end termi- 21 which is pivotally arranged about t e upper stud 15.

As intimated, improved means have been employed for normally holding the pointer in an extended position and the plunger in a retracted posltion and in reducing the present feature of the invention to practlce a triplever 22 is pivotally mounted about a bracket 23 carried near the handle'portion 2 one end being notched as at 25 for engagement with the pin 25 which pro]ects from the lower portion of the lever 14 while a leaf spring 26 has one end rigidly connected to the under surface of the shank and I its free end bearing against the inner portion of the trip lever 22 so as to serve as a means for normally holding the notch in engagement with the pin 25 to consequently normally hold the parts in the set position described.

For the purpose of facilitating the guiding of the pointer and the plunger relative to the shank a band 27 is arranged so as to embrace the pointer, plunger and the shank at a point above the band 9 as indicated in the drawings.

In use, assuming that the parts have been assembled as described, the upper portion of the lever 14: is swung rearwardly while a The resilient retainer 7 is formed silient retainer 7. The lever is now shoved I partly forwardly until the notch engages the pin 25. Inasmuch as the pointer isstill extended upon the gras ing of the handle 2 the pointer may be manipulated for the location of the root canal and as soon as the root canal has been located the upper portion of the lever 1+1 is swung forwardly under pressure of the forefinger of the dentist which insures of the simultaneous retracting of the pointer-17 and the extending of the plunger 20. It is to be appreciated, of course, that the double points 6 serve to anchor the beak above the root canal and inasmuch as the gutta-percha point is positioned forwardly of the plunger the said gutta-percha point will be moved through the groove and from beneath the outer portion of the resilient retainer 7 and thence forced into the root canal. After the upper portion of the lever has been drawn rearwardly and the gutta percha point inserted in the slot 11, and the lever moved to advance the plunger and retract the pointer or probe to the point where it is locked in set position by trip lever 22. This action advances. the plunger to a point where it closes the slot 11, thus more securely retaining the small gutta percha point. Also after the instrument is locked in set position and the canal root locked with the pointer or probe by pressure of the middle finger on the rear of the trip lever 22, the lever 14 is unlocked so that at the same time by drawin with the forefinger on the lower portion of the lever 14 the pointer is retracted and the plunger advanced.

It is believed in view of the foregoing description that a further detailed description of the operation of the invention'is entirely unnecessary Likewise it is believed that the advantages of the invention will be readily apparent. However, it is to be appreciated that by the employment of an instrument of the above character that there is little likelihood of failure to insert a gutta perchapoint in the root canal thusobviating a loss of time and a waste of points which frequently happens when these points are inserted by the employment of the old method.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limited sense. It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described inplunger having one end pivotally connected to the opposite end of the lever means connected to the beak for guiding the point and the plunger, a-resilient gutta-perclia point retainer connected to the beak and beneath which the plunger is designed'to pass upon the swinging of the lever for the simultaneous retracting of the point.

3. A device of the character described comprising a shank formed with a curved.

beak, a lever rockingly mounted on the shank, a flexible point having one end pivotally connected to one end of theilever, a flexible plunger having one end ivotally connected to the opposite'end of t e lever,

means connected to the beak for guiding the point and. the plunger, a resilient guttapercha point retainer connected the beak and beneath which the plunger is designed to pass upon the swingmg of the lever for the simultaneous retracting of the point, and manually operable trip means swlngly connected to the shank for 'releasably retaining the lever so that the'flexlble POIIIIPW'IH be normally held in an extended pos1t1on.

4. A device of the character described comprising a shank, a curvedtapered beak formed at one end thereof and provided in its upper andlower faces with longitudinally extending tapering grooves, said i I grooves providing double points at the terminal of the beak, a band embracingthe beak, a resilient gutta-percha point retainer connected to the band and overlying the groove in the upper face of the beak, a guide-overlying a portion of the groove 1n the under face of the beak, .a lever rockingly carried by the shank, a flexible tape likepoint pivotally connected to one end of the lever and having portion slidably arrange guided in its movement by the ible tape. like plun er pivotal y connected to the other end 0 the; lever, and having its outer portion slidably arranged wlthin in the groove and its outer tapered the upper oove and guided in its movement by t e retainer whereby upon the swinging of the lever the point will be retracted while the plunger will be simultaneously extended and adapted to force a gutta-percha point from beneath the retainer into a root canal.

5. A device ofthe character described comprising a shank, a curved tapered beak formed at one end thereof and'provided in its upper and lower faces with longitudinally extending taperingv grooves, said grooves providing double points at the terminal of the beak, a band embracing the beak, a resilient gutta-percha point retainer connected to the band and overlying a portion of the groove in the under face of the beak, a lever rockingly mounted on one end of the lever and having its outer tapered portion slidably arranged in the groove and. gpided in its movement by the guide, a flexi le ta e like plunger pivotally connected to the ot er end of the'lever and having its outer portion slidably arranged within the upper groove andguided in its movement by the retainer whereby upon the rocking of the lever the point will be retracted while the plunger will be simultaneously extended and adapted to force a gutta-percha point from beneath the retainer into a root canal, a pin projecting from a portion of the lever, a tri lever pivotally connected to the shank and aving one end notched for engagement shank and bearing against the trip lever ,and tensioned to normally hold the notched- .nd of the trip lever in engagement with the pin andthereby releasably maintain the pin 1n a set and extended position.

6. A device of the character described embodying a shank formed with a beak having means for retaining a root canal filling therein, a pointer carried by the beak for locating a root canal, and means for retracting the pointer and simultaneously ejecting thc fillin from the beak.

7.'A evice of the kind described, comprising a shank formed at one end with a beak, a piloting device carried by the beak whereby the, latter may be positioned at the top of a root canal, the beak having means for holding a root canal filling an filling ejecting means carried by the beak.

- 8. A device of the kind described, comprising a shank formed with a beak having means for holding a root canalfilling, filling ejecting means carried by the beak, and av 

